Cigar-machine.



Patent-ed lian. I,v|90l. l

T. E. CARPENTER.`

v clGAn MAcHmE. {ApplAicutitm lnd May 12. 1900,)

(Nu Model.)

ywf WMM fm FIG/5. WMM.

' a citizen of the United States, residing at:

Providence, in the county of Providence and NITED STATES PATENT Finca.

THOMAS E. CARPENTER, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

ClGAR-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION' formingparn ofl Letters Patent No. 665,173, dated January 1, 1901.

Application filed May 12, 1900. Serial No. 16,502. (No model-J To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. CARPENTER,

State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cigar-Machines, of which the following is a specification,'reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Like letters indicate like parts.

Figure l is a front elevation of a cigar-machine embodying my invention.V Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same as seen on line e; .fr of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of one end of the main roller, together with its companion conical roller and the means of connecting them. Fig. 4. isa sectional view as seen on line y y of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal section of said end of the main roller,together with its companion conical roller and the means of connecting them, as the same are located when said rollers have been rotated one-quarter turn from the position in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the main roller.

My invention relates to cigar-machines which have rotatable rollers for the purpose of forming and wrapping cigars, which' rollers comprise a main roller and a companion conical roller, arranged at an angle thereto and so connected as to rotate together.

My invention consists of the novel construction and combination of the means for imparting to the front main roller and its companion conical roller a slower speed than that of the rear main roller and upper main roller and their respective companion conical rollers and also in providing the main rollers with longitudinal lutings of peculiar form ,all as hereinafter particularly described, and as specifically set forth in the claims.

In the drawings I show in Fig..1 a cigarmachine in which my improved rollers are used. Said machine has the standards A A and shaft B and is driven by the belt C, which passes over the pulley D. The pulley D in the position illustrated in Fig. lis loose upon the shaft B, but is provided with a clutch member E, as shown. A sleeve or tube F,

fast upon said shaft B, also has a clutch member G. A spiral spring H surrounds the shaft kB. A shipper l moves the pulley D on the shaft B and brings its clutch member E into engagement with the clutch member G of the sleeve or tube F and maintains such engagement as long as the shipper is operated, the

spiral spring being compressed during said engagement. When the shipper I is released,

the spring H separates the clutch members- E Gand so stops the operation of the machine. The sleeve or tube F has a drivinggear J fastened thereon. There are three main rollers in this machine, one upper roller K and two lower rollers L, of which latter only the front one is seen in Fig. 1, the other lying behind it. These main rollers each have a journal M, by which it is mounted in the standard A. On the journal .M of the vmain roller K is the gear N. On the journal M of the front lower roller L is the gear O, and on the journal M of the rear lower roller L is the gear Y. The gears N, O, and Y mesh with the drivinggear J of the sleeve or tube F. The main rollers K L L are concaved longitudinally and iiuted, as shown. A table or shelf P extends in front of the machine from side to side and is supported by the standards A A'. A bracket Q extends from the standard A and has a bent end. A handle-bar R is pivotally mounted on the standard A, as indicated atS, and is designed to move the roller K out of its position relatively to the rollers L for the purpose of allowing the insertion of the cigar-bunch and the removal of the finished cigar. A rod T, fastened at one end to the handle-bar R, eX- tends therefrom at a right angle and is of a length exceeding that of the roller K. At the other end of the rod T a hanger or finger U is supported, extending downward and provided with a bent end. For each of said main rollers K L L there is a companion conical roller V, whose shape is most plainly shown in Fig. 2 and which is longitudinally luted. The smaller or outer end of the conical roller Vhas a socket a, adapted to receive the bent end of the hanger U, and the opposite or inner end of the said roller V is arc-shaped in every central longitudinal section thereof centric socket in the end opposite its journal IOO M, as seen in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. In this socket a ring Z) is loosely mounted upon two screws c,which are diametrically opposite each other, and passing through screw-threaded holes in the sides ofthe main roller have their ends smooth and rounded. These ends of the screws c enter sockets in the outer edge of the ring` b, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so that said ring swivels thereon. A disk or ball-shaped head or knob d, having a diameter adapting it to be mounted within the ring b, is provided with two diametrically-opposite sockets c. Screwsf, passing through the sides of the ring l), have smooth rounded ends, which enter the sockets e of said disk d, thus enabling the disk to swivel thereon. The disk d has a screwthreaded stern g extending therefrom on one side, which enters the screwthreaded hole of the conical roller V, as seen in Figs. 3 and 5. This combination of the ring b, disk CZ, and screws c andf constitutes the connecting n1eans--a universal joint or gimbal joint-whereby the roll K (or L) and its companion conical roller V are rotatable together atan angle with each other and maintain a point of contact and bearing, as appeal's at m, at all times throughout the rotation. Each of the main rollersLis mounted at one end in the standard A, whose upper portion is widened, as shown in Fig. 2, and thus affords a sufficient support, and the opposite end of said main rolleris mounted and connected by said universal or gimbal joint with its companion conical roller V. Said conical roller extending atan angle from said main roller is mounted at its smaller end by .its socket a upon the bent-up end of the bracket Q, which extends from the standard A'. The upper main roller K is mounted and held at one end in a slot IV in the case X. The said main roller K is mounted and connected at its opposite end by said universal orgimbal joint with its companion conical roller V, which extends therefrom at an angle and whose outer smaller end is mounted by its socket a upon the bent-up end of the hanger U. As the hanger U is fastened to the handle-bar R, the movement of said handle-bar swings said upper main roller and its companion conical roller into or out of position relatively to the main rollers L. By this connection of the main roller and its companion conical roller they are when closed compelled to rotate together and to maintain the angular position of the conical roller with respect to its main roller, as shown. Those surfaces of the main rollerand its companion conical roller which are in contact with the cigar or cigar-bunch thus preserve the true curve (shown in Fig. l) and enable the machine to finish the cigar with a symmetrical and smooth tapering end.

The gear of the rear main roller L is shown at Y in Fig. 2 and has the same number of teeth as the gear N of the upper main roller K, and as said gears N Y are driven by the gear J of the main shaft B they rotate at the same rate in the same time. The gear O, however, of the front main roller L has a slightly larger n urnber of teeth than the gears N Y have and being driven by the same gear J as the other gears rotates more slowly than they.

The main rollers, as also the companion conical rollers, are longitudinally fiuted, as shown in Fig. l; but in Fig. 6 I show a certain variation in the flutings of the main rollers, which is desirable for the purposes hereinafter mentioned. In Fig. 6 the liutings are deepest at and near the central part of the periphery of the roller, but regularly diminish in breadth and depth toward the ends of said roller, and near the journaled end said utings come to a point, respectively.

The operation of my improved cigar-machine is as follows: The cigar-bunch is made up as usual, and a leaf-wrapper is placed in proper position to be rolled thereon. The upper pair of rollers is swung out of position by the handle R for the insertion of the cigarbunch upon and between the lower rollers. When the cigar-bunch has been so placed, the upper pair of rollers is returned to the position shown in Figs. l and 2, and it is shaped by the rotation of the rollers K L L V V V. The leaf-wrapper spread upon the table or shelf P diagonally with relation to said rollers and bunch is pushed by hand until the corner thereof is engaged between the lower front roller and the bunch (the rotation of the rollers meanwhile continuing) and is rolled upon the cigar-bunch. When the cigar is properly rolled, formed, and finished by the rotation of said rollers, the upper pair of rollers is swung out of position by the handle R, and the cigar is removed from the machine.

As the front roller L and its companion conical roller, which are practically the ones which feed the leaf-wrapper to the cigar bunch, move a little slower than the other rollers, the leaf-wrapper is drawn somewhat in being rolled upon the cigar-bunch, and this causes the wrapper to lie smoothly there on with a sufficient, but not excessive, binding force. The variation in the speed of these rollers, however, should be very slight; otherwise the leaf-wrapper may be torn. In practice I have found the most favorable variation to vbe obtained when the gears N Y have eighteen teeth each and the gear 0 has twenty teeth. The variation of the depth and width of the flutings of the main rollers also affects the rolling of the leaf-wrapper upon the cigar-bunch. As the main roller is concaved on its periphery, as shown in the drawings, it is evident that any point on the periphery of said roller at or near its center will describe a smaller 'circle in one rotation of the roller than a point at or near the ends of the roller, because of the dilference of the diameters of the roller at these selected points.

TOO

IIO

Therefore if the leaf wrapper is fed and wound by rollers so concaved in surface the portion of the leaf-wrapper which is seized and moved by a portion of the roller where the diameter is large will be fed more rapidly than the portion of the leaf-wrapper which is seized and moved by a portion of the roller where the diameter is smaller, and as a result the leaf will be torn. 'To obviate this difculty, I vary the iiutings of the rollers from end to end, as already described, and where the diameter of the roller is least the iiutings are deepest and widest, thus making the intervening ridges between the flutings sharp or narrow, while I make the flutings more shallow toward the ends, and toward the journaled end of the roller they disappear by entirely running out to a point, so that where the diameter of the roller increases or is largest the intervening spaces are wider and smooth, and consequently have less frictional hold or grip upon the leaf-wrapper, thus allowing the wrapper to slip somewhat to conform topand lie smoothly upon the surface of the cigarbunch.

I claim as a novel and useful invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In a cigar-machine the combination of .ing a larger number of teeth than the other two roller-gears, substantially as shown and for the purpose specified.

2. In a cigar-machine, a rotatable roller having a concaved periphery and longitudinal flutings thereon, which have a certain depth and width at and near their centers, but which regularly diminish in depth and width, respectively, toward the ends of said roller, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

y THOMAS E. CARPENTER. Witnesses:

WARREN R, PEROE, ANNIE E. PERGE. 

